Neck brace

ABSTRACT

A neck brace ( 10 ) is disclosed which comprises two sections ( 12, 14 ) which are releasably connected to one another along a split line ( 18 ). The ring has upwardly facing surfaces ( 30, 76.1, 20.2 ) which limit tilting movement of a helmeted head in all directions. The brace further has a column ( 68, 70 ) which extends downwardly from the ring for transferring loads to the wearer&#39;s back on each side of the spine.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Utility patent applicationSer. No. 11/440,576 filed May 25, 2006 which is a continuation ofinternational application PCT/ZA2004/000148 filed 26 Nov. 2004,published in English under PCT Article 21(2), which claims benefit fromSouth African Application Serial No. 2003/9174 filed 26 Nov. 2003, thespecifications all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to relates to neck braces.

2. Description of the Related Art

A neck brace is generally used to support and immobilize the neck of thewearer after the wearer has sustained a neck injury.

The purpose of the neck brace of the present invention is to provideprotection against most types of neck injuries such as fractures whichmay be sustained by a user, especially by a participant in a sportactivity where there is a risk of serious neck injury such as high speedmotor sports.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided aneck brace comprising a ring which fits around the wearer's neck, acolumn which depends from the ring at a position at the rear of the ringso that it extends down the wearer's back, and cushioning along thevertical edges of the column for transmitting to the wearer's back, oneach side of the spine, impact loads which are imposed on the brace.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda neck brace which comprises a ring for fitting around the wearer'sneck, an upper extension which protrudes from the ring in the rearwarddirection and a wall extending upwardly from said rearward extension forcontacting the underside of the rear edge of a crash helmet and limitingtilting of the helmet in the rearward direction, a lower rearwardextension, a column which depends from said lower rearward extension sothat it extends down the wearer's back, and cushioning along thevertical edges of the column for transmitting to the wearer's back, oneach side of the spine, impact loads which are imposed on the brace.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided aneck brace comprising a ring which fits around the wearer's neck, thebrace having an extension which protrudes from the ring in the rearwarddirection and a wall extending upwardly from said rearward extension forcontacting the underside of the rear edge of a crash helmet and limitingtilting of the helmet in the rearward direction.

Said wall, in plan view, can be of curving configuration and extendacross the rear of the brace and part of the way along each side of thebrace, the part of the wall which extends across the rear of the bracebeing of substantially constant height and the parts of the wall at thesides of the brace decreasing in height with increasing distance fromthe part of the wall which extends across the brace.

Preferably said wall slopes in the rearward direction thereby to providean upwardly facing inclined surface which is positioned to intercepttilting movement and also projection of the rear part of the helmet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provideda neck brace comprising a ring which fits around the wearer's neck, aforward and downward extension from said ring, and cushioning on theunderside of the extension for bearing on the wearer's chest andtransmitting to the chest impact loads that are imposed on the brace.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided aneck brace comprising a ring which fits around the wearer's neck, aforward extension of the ring providing an upwardly facing impactsurface which, when the brace is used with a full face crash helmet,limits downward tilting of the helmet by contacting the underside of theface guard of the helmet.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided aneck brace comprising a ring which fits around the wearer's neck, anupper forward extension of the ring providing an upwardly facing impactsurface which, when the brace is used with a full face crash helmet,limits downward tilting of the helmet by contacting the underside of theface guard of the helmet, a lower forward extension of the ring,cushioning on the underside of the lower extension for bearing on thewearer's chest and transmitting to the chest impact loads that areimposed on the brace, and a wall joining the upper and lower forwardextensions, the wall being hollow and bounded by a radially outer skinand a radially inner skin.

In the preferred form said upper extension is hollow and bounded by anupper skin and a lower skin, the hollow interior of the upper extensioncommunicating with the space between said inner and outer skins of thejoining wall.

Said ring can comprise a U-shaped front section and a U-shaped rearsection, there being releasable latching means for fastening saidsections to one another.

In one constructional form said column comprises a vertically extendingbar depending from the ring, a plate wider than the bar secured to thebar and protruding laterally therefrom on each side thereof, saidcushioning being carried by said plate.

The wall joining the upper and lower forward extensions can befabricated so that it constitutes a fracture zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how thesame may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way ofexample, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a neck brace according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the neck brace.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the neck brace.

FIG. 4 is an underneath plan view of the neck brace.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the neck brace.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the neck brace.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of a further neck brace according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view from one side and above of the brace of FIG.7.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the neck brace of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an underneath plan view of the neck brace of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a rear elevation of the brace of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of the brace of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The neck brace comprises a ring shaped to dissipate forces of axialloading, flexion, extension, lateral flexion and lateral rotation, whilestill affording the wearer's head a range of movement. A helmet may belocatable above an upper surface of the ring when it is worn by awearer. The helmet is preferably a full face crash helmet such as isused in, for example, motorcycle racing or motocross racing.

The neck brace provides a way for helmet clad wearers, especially thoseparticipating in high speed motor sports such as motorcycle racing, tohave a high degree of protection against neck trauma by virtue of thebrace being shaped to dissipate forces of axial loading, flexion,extension, lateral flexion and lateral rotation, while still affordingthe wearer a reasonable range of movement.

More specifically, a helmet worn by a wearer is located above the uppersurface of the neck brace with a clearance between the lower part of thehelmet and an upwardly facing surface. This permits the head a necessarydegree of freedom of movement whilst ensuring that there is contactbetween the helmet's lower edge and the upwardly facing surface of thebrace, thereby inhibiting further movement of the head, before themovement of the head is sufficient to cause neck damage.

The neck brace may comprise flexible cushioning material and lessflexible strength imparting material. The flexible material may be, forexample, rubber, sponge, foam rubber or high density polystyrene, andmay provide the inner lining of the neck brace which is the inner sidelocated nearest the neck of the wearer. The less flexible material maybe, for example, carbon fiber, kevlar, titanium or aluminum, and mayinclude a structure of titanium struts hidden within the brace toprovide additional strength.

The neck brace illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 is generally designated 10and comprises a front section 12 and a rear section 14 which are securedtogether to form a ring which goes around the wearer's neck. Theconnection can comprise two spring loaded latches or, preferably, onespring loaded latch 16.1 and a hinge 16.2. The split line between thefront and rear sections is designed 18.

The front section 12 is U-shaped in plan and includes a hollow topflange 20 and a solid bottom flange 22 which are joined by a compositewall 24.

The top flange has an upper face which is stepped along the curving line28 to provide an upwardly facing outer surface 30 and an upwardly facinginner surface. The outer surface 30 is above the inner surface. Theinner surface is not visible in the drawings as it is concealed by apiece of horse-shoe shaped cushioning 32. The cushioning 32 isreleasably secured to said inner surface by, for example, a strip of the“hook and loop” fastener (not shown), which is generally sold under thetrade mark VELCRO®, fixed to the transverse portion of the inner, lowersurface. The cushioning 32 protrudes above the surface 30.

The top flange 20, when its rear end is viewed along the split line 18,slopes in such a manner that the inner edge of the inner, lower surfaceis below its outer edge, and the inner edge of the surface 30 is belowits outer edge. The front, transversely extending portion of the surface30 is wider in the radial direction than the side portions of thissurface and curves upwardly (see particularly FIG. 6) to form aforwardly facing lip designated 38.

The bottom flange 22 is wider than the top flange 20 and protrudesbeyond the top flange both laterally and in the forward direction. Theunderside of the flange 22 has a layer of cushioning material 40 securedthereto. The layer 40, when the brace 10 is being worn, is in contactwith the part of the wearer's chest which is immediately below the neck.

The wall 24 which joins the flanges 20, 22 is of double skin hollowconstruction at the forward end of the section 12 and of single skinconstruction towards the free ends of the limbs of the U-shaped section12.

The inner edges of the flanges 20, 22 of the section 12 are joined by acurving inner skin 42 of the wall 24. The outer skin of the wall isdesignated 44 and extends from the underside of the top flange 20 to thetop surface of the bottom flange 22.

The bottom flange 22 is constituted by a single skin whereas the topflange 20, as mentioned above, is of hollow construction. The upper skinof the top flange 20 provides the surface 30, the surface to which thecushioning 32 is fixed and the top surface of the lip 38. The lower skinforms the underside of the lip 38 and merges with the outer skin 44 ofthe wall 24.

Thus the forward part of the neck brace is hollow, the internal spacebeing bounded by the top and bottom flanges 20, 22 and by the skins ofthe wall 24. The hollow lip 38 forms a forward extension of the spacebetween the skins 42, 44 and the flanges 20, 22.

Air vents (not shown) are provided in the skin 44 and further air vents46 are provided in the flange 22. These vents all communicate with saidinternal space and allow air to flow through the hollow front section ofthe brace.

The free edges of the lower flanges are stepped down at 50 (see FIG. 2)to allow the two sections 12, 14 to be overlapped as will be describedin more detail later.

The rear section 14 includes top and bottom flanges 52, 54 which formcontinuations of the top and bottom flanges 20, 22 of the front section12 when the sections are joined.

The top flange 52 is configured with a step in it so that its uppersurface has a radially inner part which is lower than the radially outerpart. The radially outer part is designated 56 and the radially innerpart has cushioning 58 secured to it by one or more strips of VELCRO®.The flange 52 is hollow and bounded by an upper skin constituting thestepped top surface of the flange and by a lower skin.

The rear of the brace is constituted by a first wall designated 60 and asecond wall designated 62.

The bottom flanges 54 curve downwardly at their rear ends to merge withthe wall 60. Air vents 64 are provided in the wall 60 and there is avertically extending recess 66 in the centre of the rearwardly facingsurface of the wall 60.

A bar 68 has its upper end in the recess 66 and is screwed to the wall60. A plate 70 which is wider than the bar 68 is secured to the bar 68by screws or other suitable means and protrudes in both horizontaldirections beyond the bar 68. A U-shaped pad 72 of cushioning materialis secured to the forwardly facing surface of the plate 70. The bar 68and plate 70 constitute a column.

A wedge shaped shim (not shown) can be fitted between the bar 68 and thewall 60 so as to cause the bar to adopt a non-vertical orientation.Alternatively, two wedge shape shims in face-to-face contact can be usedto displace the bar 68 rearwardly with respect to the wall 60 whilstleaving it vertical.

Shims can also be used between the bar 68 and plate 70 so as to anglethe plate 70 with respect to the bar, or displace it rearwardly withrespect to the bar.

The wall 62 constitutes an upward extension of the part 56 of the flange52. The wall 62, in plan, has side sections 74 of generally triangularshape which increase in height towards the zones where they merge with atransverse section 76 of the wall 62. The section 76 slopes in therearward direction to provide a surface 76.1 (see FIG. 1) and has twomesh covered air vents 78 in it. On its forwardly facing surface thesection 76 has two cushioning pads 80 and there are further cushioningpads 82 on the inner faces of the sections 74.

Pads 88 of cushioning material are provided on the underside of theflanges 54.

The forward edges of the flanges 54 are configured so that they overlapwith the rear edges of the flanges 22 (see FIG. 2).

The latch 16.1 is mounted on the section 14 and comprises a springloaded locking bar which is in a socket of the flange 54 and can bemanually displaced by an actuating element external of the flange. Atang (not shown) is secured to the section 12 and enters the socketcontaining the locking bar when the sections 12 and 14 are being joined.The tang has an angled slot in its side edge. The tang cams the lockingbar to one side against spring action until the bar enters the angledslot. Only by manually displacing the locking bar out of the slot canthe sections 12, 14 be separated.

The brace provides maximum protection when worn with a so called fullface helmet. Such a helmet has a continuous lower edge which extendsaround the wearer's head at a level which is just below the chin. Thegap between the helmet's lower edge and the upwardly facing surface ofthe neck brace allows the head some freedom of movement. However, thismovement is restricted and after movement of the head relative to thebody which is insufficient to cause neck damage, further relativemovement is prevented as the gap closes up and the lower edge of thehelmet strikes the upwardly facing surface. This enables flexion andextension of the head as well as lateral flexion and axial loading to bedissipated. Insofar as lateral rotation is concerned, this is inhibitedby a strap which extends between the brace and the helmet. This strapcauses lateral rotation of the head to be converted into flexion beforethe rotation is sufficient to cause neck damage.

The top edge and the inclined forward face 76.1 of the wall section 76lie close to the wearer's crash helmet and limit both projection andrearward tilting movement of the head. The column constituted by the bar68 and plate 70 transmits, via the pad 72, impact loads to the wearer'sback. These loads are imposed not on the spine but on two zones lyingone on each side of the spine.

The top flange 20 of the front section lies below the lower rim of ahelmet of the full face type and thus limits forward tilting motion of ahelmeted head. The front part of the flange 22 lies on the wearer'schest and transmits loads to it through the cushioning 40 on theunderside of the flange 22.

Most of the features of the brace of FIGS. 7 to 12 are common to it andto the brace of FIGS. 1 to 6. Like parts have been designated with likereferences to which the suffix “.1” has been added.

The most significant difference between the two braces is that the wallsection 76 of FIGS. 1 to 6 is of far smaller height as can best be seenin FIG. 12. The wall section 76 limits movement of the helmet and headin the direction of the arrow A. Such movement is referred to, inmedical terms, as “projection”. The upper surface of the brace limitstilting of the head and helmet in the direction indicated by the arrowB.

Both braces illustrated are fabricated using resin and glass fiber orcarbon fiber and a fabric such as KEVLAR® which are embedded in theresin. KEVLAR® is the strongest of these materials and is used on theinside of the brace. Thus if the brace does fracture, it fracturespreferentially on the outside. Any fragments that break off are thusoutside the brace and not adjacent the wearer's neck.

The braces are fabricated in such manner that certain zones are weakerthan the remainder of the structure of the brace. In the event of animpact, these zones collapse before any other parts of the brace andabsorb the forces exerted as a result of the impact. The fracture zonesare marked FZ in FIGS. 1 to 6. The same zones exist in the brace ofFIGS. 7 to 12.

These zones are created by, for example, using fabric of lesserstrength, by making the zones thinner than the surrounding parts of thebrace, or by configuring the brace such that fracturing naturally occursat the desired zones.

The braces described are intended to be worn not by a person who hassuffered a neck injury but by a person whose activities increase thechances that a neck injury will be suffered.

By providing a rigid sub-structure of resin covered with cushioningmaterial, and building fracture zones into the rigid sub-structure, itis possible to minimise the transmission of impact shocks to thewearer's neck region by absorbing the shocks. The lip 38, which forms aforward extension of the ring, controls forward tilting movement of thehelmeted head. The lower edge of the rear part of the helmet is adjacentthe sloping face 76.1 of the wall section 76 and limits both projectionand tilting of the helmeted head. Finally the surfaces 20.2 of the topflanges which lie on opposite sides of the neck (see particularly FIGS.1 and 11) inhibit sideways movement of the head by contact betweenthemselves and the helmet.

1. A neck brace, comprising: a ring adapted to substantially encircle awearer's neck and to provide a clearance between the ring and a frontlower rim of a full face helmet when the helmet is worn by the wearer,the clearance allowing a range of freedom of movement of the helmetabove the ring, the ring having a front section constructed and arrangedto limit forward tilt of the helmet through contact of the front lowerrim of the helmet with the front section of the ring; and a lowerforward member extending from the ring and having sufficient rigidity totransfer to the wearer's chest at least some of a force applied to thefront section of the ring by the front lower rim of the helmet; andwherein the ring further has a side surface constructed and arranged tolimit sideward tilt of the helmet through contact of a side lower rim ofthe helmet and the side surface of the ring.
 2. The neck brace of claim1, wherein the ring comprises: two U-shaped sections.
 3. The neck braceof claim 2, wherein the U-shaped sections are configured to releasablylatch together.
 4. The neck brace of claim 1, further comprising: afirst fracture zone, adjacent the front section, configured to collapseprior to the remainder of the brace collapsing in response to a firstforce applied to the front section of the ring by the front lower rim ofthe helmet thereby absorbing at least some of the first force.
 5. Theneck brace of claim 4, further comprising: an upwardly extending rearsurface constructed and arranged to limit rearward tilt of the helmetthrough contact of a rear lower rim of the helmet and the upwardlyextending rear surface.
 6. The neck brace of claim 5, furthercomprising: a second fracture zone, adjacent the upwardly extending rearsurface, configured to collapse prior to the remainder of the bracecollapsing in response to a second force applied to the upwardlyextending rear surface by the rear lower rim of the helmet therebyabsorbing at least some of the second force.
 7. The neck brace of claim6, wherein at least one of the first and second fracture zones is formedby using one or more materials collectively having a strength that isless than the strength of the materials used to form the remainder ofthe brace.
 8. The neck brace of claim 7, further comprising: flangesconfigured to prevent substantial rotation of the neck brace on thewearer.
 9. The neck brace of claim 6, wherein at least one of the firstand second fracture zones has walls that are thinner than the wallsforming the remainder of the brace.
 10. The neck brace of claim 1,further comprising: a rigid structure connected to and extending betweenthe ring and the lower forward member.
 11. The neck brace of claim 10,wherein the ring extends outwardly beyond the rigid structure.
 12. Aneck brace, comprising: a ring adapted to substantially encircle awearer's neck and to provide a clearance between the ring and a frontlower rim of a full face helmet when the helmet is worn by the wearer,the clearance allowing a range of freedom of movement of the helmetabove the ring, the ring having an upwardly extending rear surfaceconfigured to limit rearward tilt of the helmet through contact of arear lower rim of the helmet with the upwardly extending rear surface;and a lower rear member extending from the ring and having sufficientrigidity to transfer to the wearer's back at least some of a forceapplied to the upwardly extending rear surface by the rear lower rim ofthe helmet.
 13. The neck brace of claim 12, wherein the ring has a frontsection constructed and arranged to limit forward tilt of the helmetthrough contact of the front lower rim of the helmet with the frontsection of the ring.
 14. The neck brace of claim 13, further comprising:a second fracture zone, adjacent the front surface, configured tocollapse prior to the remainder of the brace collapsing in response to asecond force applied to the front section of the ring by the lower rimof the helmet thereby absorbing at least some of the second force. 15.The neck brace of claim 14, wherein the second fracture zone is formedby using one or more materials collectively having a strength that isless than the strength of the remainder of the brace.
 16. The neck braceof claim 12, further comprising: a lower forward member extending fromthe ring and constructed and arranged to transfer to the wearer's chestat least some of a force applied to the front section of the ring by thefront lower rim of the helmet.
 17. The neck brace of claim 16, furthercomprising: a rigid structure connected to and extending between thering and the lower forward member.
 18. The neck brace of claim 17,wherein the ring extends outwardly beyond the rigid structure.
 19. Theneck brace of claim 12, wherein the ring further has a side surfaceconstructed and arranged to limit sideward tilt of the helmet throughcontact of a side lower rim of the helmet and the side surface of thering.
 20. The neck brace of claim 12, further comprising: a firstfracture zone, adjacent the upwardly extending rear surface, configuredto collapse prior to the remainder of the brace collapsing in responseto a first force applied to the upwardly extending rear surface by therear lower rim of the helmet thereby absorbing at least some of thefirst force.
 21. The neck brace of claim 20, wherein the first fracturezone has walls that are thinner than the walls forming the remainder ofthe brace.
 22. The neck brace of claim 12, further comprising: flangesconfigured to prevent substantial rotation of the neck brace on thewearer.
 23. The neck brace of claim 12, wherein the ring comprises: twoU-shaped sections.
 24. The neck brace of claim 23, wherein the U-shapedsections are configured to releasably latch together.
 25. A neck brace,comprising: a first U-shaped section adapted to be operativelypositioned around the neck of a wearer and configured to allow clearancebetween a lower rim of a full face helmet when worn on the wearer's headand the first U-shaped section, the clearance allowing freedom ofmovement of the helmet above the first U-shaped section, the firstU-shaped section including a rear section configured to limit tilt ofthe helmet through contact of a rear lower rim of the helmet with therear section of the first U-shaped section; and a lower section,extending from the first U-shaped section, and having sufficientrigidity to transfer to the wearer's back at least some of a forceapplied to the rear section of the first U-shaped section by the rearlower rim of the helmet.
 26. The neck brace of claim 25, furthercomprising: a second U-shaped section configured to releasably latch tothe first U-shaped section so that the first and second U-shapedsections substantially encircle the wearer's neck, the second U-shapedsection including a front section.
 27. The neck brace of claim 26,further comprising: a first fracture zone, adjacent the rear section,configured to collapse prior to the remainder of the brace collapsing inresponse to a force applied to the rear section of the U-shaped sectionby the rear lower rim of the helmet.
 28. The neck brace of claim 27,further comprising: a second fracture zone, adjacent the front section,configured to collapse prior to the remainder of the brace collapsing inresponse to a second force applied to the front section of the U-shapedsection by a front lower rim of the helmet.
 29. The neck brace of claim28, wherein at least one of the first and second fracture zones isformed by using one or more materials collectively having a strengththat is less than the strength of the remainder of the brace.
 30. Theneck brace of claim 28, wherein at least one of the first and secondfracture zones has walls that are thinner than the walls forming theremainder of the brace.
 31. The neck brace of claim 25, wherein the ringfurther has a side surface constructed and arranged to limit sidewardtilt of the helmet through contact of a side lower rim of the helmet andthe side surface of the ring.
 32. The neck brace of claim 25, furthercomprising: a rigid structure connected to and extending between thering and the lower forward member.
 33. The neck brace of claim 32,wherein the ring extends outwardly beyond the rigid structure.
 34. Theneck brace of claim 25, further comprising: flanges configured toprevent substantial rotation of the neck brace on the wearer.
 35. A neckbrace, comprising: a ring adapted to substantially encircle a wearer'sneck and to provide a clearance between the ring and a front lower rimof a full face helmet when the helmet is worn by the wearer, theclearance allowing a range of freedom of movement of the helmet abovethe ring, the ring having a front section constructed and arranged tolimit forward tilt of the helmet through contact of the front lower rimof the helmet with the front section of the ring; a lower forward memberextending from the ring and having sufficient rigidity to transfer tothe wearer's chest at least some of a force applied to the front sectionof the ring by the front lower rim of the helmet; and a first fracturezone, adjacent the front section, configured to collapse prior to theremainder of the brace collapsing in response to a first force appliedto the front section of the ring by the front lower rim of the helmetthereby absorbing at least some of the first force.
 36. The neck braceof claim 35, wherein the ring comprises: two U-shaped sections.
 37. Theneck brace of claim 36, wherein the U-shaped sections are configured toreleasably latch together.
 38. The neck brace of claim 35, wherein thering further has a side surface constructed and arranged to limitsideward tilt of the helmet through contact of a side lower rim of thehelmet and the side surface of the ring.
 39. The neck brace of claim 35,further comprising: an upwardly extending rear surface constructed andarranged to limit rearward tilt of the helmet through contact of a rearlower rim of the helmet and the upwardly extending rear surface.
 40. Theneck brace of claim 39, further comprising: a second fracture zone,adjacent the upwardly extending rear surface, configured to collapseprior to the remainder of the brace collapsing in response to a secondforce applied to the upwardly extending rear surface by the rear lowerrim of the helmet thereby absorbing at least some of the second force.41. The neck brace of claim 40, wherein at least one of the first andsecond fracture zones is formed by using one or more materialscollectively having a strength that is less than the strength of thematerials used to form the remainder of the brace.
 42. The neck brace ofclaim 40, wherein at least one of the first and second fracture zoneshas walls that are thinner than the walls forming the remainder of thebrace.
 43. The neck brace of claim 41, further comprising: flangesconfigured to prevent substantial rotation of the neck brace on thewearer.
 44. The neck brace of claim 35, further comprising: a rigidstructure connected to and extending between the ring and the lowerforward member.
 45. The neck brace of claim 44, wherein the ring extendsoutwardly beyond the rigid structure.
 46. A neck brace, comprising: aring adapted to substantially encircle a wearer's neck and to provide aclearance between the ring and a front lower rim of a full face helmetwhen the helmet is worn by the wearer, the clearance allowing a range offreedom of movement of the helmet above the ring, the ring having afront section constructed and arranged to limit forward tilt of thehelmet through contact of the front lower rim of the helmet with thefront section of the ring; a lower forward member extending from thering and having sufficient rigidity to transfer to the wearer's chest atleast some of a force applied to the front section of the ring by thefront lower rim of the helmet; and a rigid structure connected to andextending between the ring and the lower forward member.
 47. The neckbrace of claim 46, wherein the ring comprises: two U-shaped sections.48. The neck brace of claim 47, wherein the U-shaped sections areconfigured to releasably latch together.
 49. The neck brace of claim 46,wherein the ring further has a side surface constructed and arranged tolimit sideward tilt of the helmet through contact of a side lower rim ofthe helmet and the side surface of the ring.
 50. The neck brace of claim46, further comprising: a first fracture zone, adjacent the frontsection, configured to collapse prior to the remainder of the bracecollapsing in response to a first force applied to the front section ofthe ring by the front lower rim of the helmet thereby absorbing at leastsome of the first force.
 51. The neck brace of claim 50, furthercomprising: an upwardly extending rear surface constructed and arrangedto limit rearward tilt of the helmet through contact of a rear lower rimof the helmet and the upwardly extending rear surface.
 52. The neckbrace of claim 51, further comprising: a second fracture zone, adjacentthe upwardly extending rear surface, configured to collapse prior to theremainder of the brace collapsing in response to a second force appliedto the upwardly extending rear surface by the rear lower rim of thehelmet thereby absorbing at least some of the second force.
 53. The neckbrace of claim 52, wherein at least one of the first and second fracturezones is formed by using one or more materials collectively having astrength that is less than the strength of the materials used to formthe remainder of the brace.
 54. The neck brace of claim 53, furthercomprising: flanges configured to prevent substantial rotation of theneck brace on the wearer.
 55. The neck brace of claim 52, wherein atleast one of the first and second fracture zones has walls that arethinner than the walls forming the remainder of the brace.
 56. The neckbrace of claim 46, wherein the ring extends outwardly beyond the rigidstructure.